My favourite genre has changed and I’m not sure I will pick this up anymore. I’ve head great things about this.

Unfortunately, I dnf'd this one because I was struggling to like the characters and the pacing was far too slow to keep me engaged.

I was disappointed that I was unable to read this book before it got withdrawn by the publishers on Netgalley. None the less I have since then borrowed the book to read, sadly I was really disappointed. I couldn’t get into the story at all, so unfortunately it was a DNF for me.

The Other Black Girl, Zakiya Dalila Harris

Get Out meets The Devil Wears Prada in this electric debut about the tension that unfurls when two young Black women meet against the starkly white backdrop of book publishing.

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and the micro-aggressions, she’s thrilled when Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events cause Nella to become Public Enemy Number One and Hazel, the Office Darling.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realises that there is a lot more at stake than her career.

A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I started this but it definitely surprised me. I found it a little bit hard to get into but I persevered. I wouldn’t exactly say it’s a thriller but there are definite moments of psychological horror as you read it. A slow burner but the last third really picked up. I liked it but there’s a lot to think about with this one.

This is not a very good book
The pacing in this is way off. It is very slow and repetitive in places
The ending was just ridiculous and totally unbelievable

I must firstly apologise for the amount of time it has taken me to provide a review of this book, my health was rather bad for quite some time, something that had me in hospital on numerous occasions and simply didnt leave me with the time I once had to do what I love most.

Unfortunately that does mean I have missed the archive date for many of these books, so It would feel unjust throwing any review together without being able to pay attention to each novel properly.

However, I am now back to reading as before and look forward to sharing my honest reviews as always going forward. I thank you f0r the patience and understanding throughout x

"The Other Black Girl" is a timely and essential read that sheds light on the challenges faced by Black professionals in predominantly white workplaces. It invites readers to question their own roles and responsibilities in the fight against systemic racism and discrimination. Zakiya Dalila Harris has crafted a remarkable debut that combines social commentary, suspense, and a compelling narrative into a powerful and relevant story that will resonate with a broad audience. This novel is a must-read for anyone interested in the complexities of race, identity, and the quest for authenticity in the modern world.

2.5-3
The premise of The Other Black Girl and the thriller aspect and setting really intrigued me so I was excited to read. There were some interesting dynamics and important topics of discussion such as lack of diversity in the publishing sector, microaggressions and racism in the workplace, although sometimes they felt as if they never got delved into enough. I liked the writing style, but the other POVs felt disjointed within the overall story. Nella as a character was occasionally intriguing at times yet also infuriating. The pacing also made it difficult to be fully immersed and it took me a while to get into the story and once I did, the story was wrapping up.

Thanks to Netgalley and Bloomsbury for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I had been meaning to read this ever since it came out, but after finding out it had been turned into a TV show and was coming out really soon I knew I needed to get to it now, and I'm glad I did! I thought the concept of this sounded so unique, a really fresh take on the type of race-based thrillers that Get Out introduced so well, and I did really appreciate the length that Harris went to in trying to make it a wholly original story. However, I do think I enjoyed the first half of this more than the latter half, as the excitement I felt towards the tension and intrigue being built up ended up with me feeling more confused than anything else towards the end as all the double identities and false names all seemed to merge into one a bit. I'm not sure if the plot was overly ambitious, or if the eventual execution just fell a bit flat for me, but the grand reveal didn't satisfy me like I hoped it would.

Nella is the only Black person working in Wagner publishing house and she's sick of being the token person of colouring and dealing with the microaggressions she encounters every day. So she's delighted when new girl Hazel, a Black girl from Harlem, starts and they become friends. But soon Nella notices that Hazel is acting differently, and in ways is making Nella look bad and her job performance is suffering. As things get tenser, and creepier, can Nella figure out what' up with Hazel?

I liked the writing style of this book and the atmosphere that was slight intense, unsettling and creepy at times. The environment of Wagner was created really well I think, and learning more about the publishing world in many ways from difficult authors and temperamental cover artists was quite fun at times, as well as getting a look at what's like to be a Black woman in a predominantly white environment and how some people behave and the microaggressions she has to deal with and sometimes ignore for an easier time with her colleagues.

I do feel like so much of this story was build up, and when we really start figuring out what is happening, the book is already 90% finished so I was a bit disappointed with the conclusion feeling very rushed then, and then the epilogue was twisty and fun but also slightly depressing and not the ending I would have wanted for Nella obviously.

This was a really sharp and compelling read for the most part, but I did find it a bit slow through the middle section. I thought the interaction between Nella and Hazel was interesting and the way in which Hazel became the It Girl of the office left me feeling anxious. For me, the pacing was off a little bit, as the middle dragged somewhat and then the end happened at a breakneck pace, which didn't leave much time for the conclusion to settle. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and an impressive debut from an author that I will definitely look out for in the future.
I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair and honest review.

The Other Black Girl is a thriller novel by Zakiya Dalila Harris that explores the experiences of a young black woman working in a publishing company. The novel follows Nella Rogers, who is the only black employee at Wagner Books. When Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside her, Nella is initially excited to have another black woman in the office. However, she soon starts to suspect that Hazel is not who she seems. The Other Black Girl is a well-written and suspenseful novel that explores the themes of race, workplace microaggressions, and gaslighting. I recommend.

I've been meaning to read this book for a very long time. It wasn't fully what I was expecting but it was unique, interesting and the main character was strong and compelling. I particularly enjoyed the ending of the book and i look forward to reading other books by this author.

A slow start, but I'm glad I kept at it because I enjoyed it in the end.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

This book was very slow going and I struggled to carry on with it most days. I didn't really enjoy anything about it and nothing actually happened until the last 25%. I can see what the author tried to do but it was just too long and drawn out with a bad inconclusive ending. Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an advance copy of the book.

I just actively did not like this book. I tried to read it four times which is a LOT, but kept not finishing it. I know there was a lot of hype about this and I'm happy for the author! It is an intriguing premise and I didn't find that when I read it the writing was bad. I just couldn't get into it in any way shape or form. I thought it dragged. I wasn't interested. It felt like it was trying to suck me in and it just failed. I didn't like the characters at all.

There was so much hype around this book and I am here for it! An excellent thriller - I got through this in one sitting.

A whip-smart thriller that’s funny, compelling and also a searing look at race in an office environment. Saddle up for a highly entertaining ride that will make some waves this summer.

The Other Black Girl was definitely a book of two halves for me. The majority of the book is a slow paced, realistic thriller set in a publishing house with a real sense of unease running through it. After years of trying to promote diversity in her workplace, Nella struggles when a new black girl is hired who doesn’t seem to share the same ideals as her but is also winning over the bosses and undermining Nella at every opportunity. I really liked the portrayal of black issues that are at the forefront of this part of the book.

By around 80% of the book, I was still very unsure where the story was going and not much had actually happened. There’d been a few warning notes at Nella’s desk demanding that she leave her job but I really think this section could have been edited down considerably. There were also a few chapters written in other perspectives but these were confusing, I didn’t really understand how they related to the story and as the plot was so slow and they didn’t move it on at all I found myself very frustrated with them.

There’s a bit of a genre flip as well at this point, which added to my up and down liking of this book. Overall a book with a lot to say and a good read, I just with that the message hadn’t been bogged down towards the end.

meh i honestly had such high hopes but I don’t really think it exceeded any expectations. a book that started off great but it kind of failed to pick up the pace.

The Other Black Girl felt very slow I took a couple of breaks from reading beause nothing really happens until the very end. the main similarity to The Devil wears Parada is that its set in a toxic office. other than that theres no other similaries.